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I think to a certain degree, natural disasters and wars set the stage for which stores of value retain the highest degrees of reliability and durability.
Bitcoin can be complimented by technologies like starlink which provide a satellite uplink that can allow for financial transactions in the event of internet service going down and an electrical blackout occurring. If an earthquake or hurricane shuts down businesses and the economy grinds to a halt. To a point where local internet ISPs go down and electricity is out. Backup generators and affordable satellite uplinks like starlink could still allow for business transactions to occur. I think that is the standard to aim for. As well as the robustness that digital technologies will need to better compete with paper money.
While precious metals like gold and silver are often touted by doomsday preppers as being the currency of exchange in a post apocalyptic future. There has never been a scenario where society has reverted back to gold or silver standards in the event of war or natural disaster. The overwhelming majority of people would not have the slightest clue as to what a fair exchange rate for precious metals resembles, or how to identify legitimate gold bars from counterfeit ones. The infrastructure and knowledge base necessary for a reversion back to precious metals as tokens of financial exchange, no longer exists.
It is possible that digital forms of exchange as well as paper money are our only options.
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They recognize the wealth produced from oil will not last forever. Real estate development in dubai UAE being part of their comprehensive strategy for life beyond peak oil. Naturally, if crypto appears to carry a potential for post oil prosperity, they will also be likely to embrace it.
It is possible that the FTX scandal opened a lot of eyes to the wealth and prosperity crypto can produce. Considering what crypto did for SBF. Imagine what it could do in the hands of others. Having millions of spare cash to throw at ape NFTs, clothing lines, and whatever other random projects FTX funded. It has to attract ambitious and wealthy personalities looking for the next big thing.
There could be another motive for saudi embracing crypto. As inflation hits many global economies, many are seeking assets which could serve as stablecoins for large transactions involving things like energy and oil. We have seen this with ghana seeking to denominate oil transactions in gold to insulate itself from inflation decimating FOREX exchange rates. It is possible that saudi arabia will explore the potential to denominate oil transactions in gold or perhaps even crypto, if it appears to be a worthwhile pursuit. Who can say what their motives or plans are.
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So Two Questions..
1. Do you think its possible to win such an amount of money in online gambling/Sports betting ?
(my own opinion: I don't think its possible, as I've never seen.
2. Is there any online lottery casino available where it is possible to win such as enormous amount of money? Please share ..
So guys, i hope you all find the article interesting, so lets discuss..
Betting limits on wager amounts diminish potential winnings as far as gambling goes. There isn't anywhere in the united states that offers card games like blackjack with a $1 million dollar per hand basis. Betting limits usually do not approach the $1 million dollar mark. Which makes it difficult for a theoretical scenario where gamblers win more than $100 million, to exist. I have heard that places outside the USA, such as macao near china, offer $1 million dollar bets in some circumstances. The other element that would make it difficult to win more than $1 million gambling is the aggressive policy in place. Where many winning gamblers are banned from placing bets. Betting limits and bans are the two biggest obstacles to gamblers earning those types of payouts IMO. In theory, a $10,000 bet at long odds in a parlay or accumulator format, could earn millions. But I don't remember a documented scenario where that has happened. The most I have heard of anyone winning is around $100,000. |
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The best scenario IMO is to encourage free market competition, to emulate industry advancement afforded to consumers by the intel vs AMD rivalry. Competition can incentivize progress. Within the span of a few decades we have witnessed desktop PCs advance from having 64 megabytes of RAM. To having 8 gigabytes of RAM as a standard. Competition can definitely have some positive implications for society. Perhaps these positive trends can carry over to bitcoin being a competitive asset in global markets.
Bitcoin could produce incentive for the financial establishment progressing to better implement blockchain and other modern technologies.
We have already seen stock brokers adopt low commissions on trades and other things which were pioneered by crypto exchanges. Perhaps bitcoin and crypto have other things to offer the world.
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As familiar as Americans are with the concept of credit, many of us, upon encountering a sandwich that can be financed in four easy payments of $3.49, might think: Yikes, we’re in trouble. Putting a banh mi on layaway—this is the world that buy-now, pay-later programs have wrought. In a few short years, financial-technology firms such as Affirm, Afterpay, and Klarna, which allow consumers to pay for purchases over several interest-free installments, have infiltrated nearly every corner of e-commerce. People are buying cardigans with this kind of financing. They’re buying groceries and OLED TVs. During the summer of 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, they bought enough Peloton products to account for 30 percent of Affirm’s revenue. And though Americans have used layaway programs since the Great Depression, today’s pay-later plans flip the order of operations: Rather than claiming an item and taking it home only after you’ve paid in full, consumers using these modern payment plans can acquire an item for just a small deposit and a cursory credit check. From 2019 to 2021, the total value of buy-now, pay-later (or BNPL) loans originated in the United States grew more than 1,000 percent, from $2 billion to $24.2 billion. That’s still a small fraction of the amount charged to credit cards, but the fast adoption of BNPL points to its mainstream appeal. The popular embrace of this kind of lending system says a lot about Americans’ relationship to debt—particularly among the younger borrowers who made BNPL popular (about half of BNPL users are 33 or under). “We found that most of the people that use buy now, pay later either don’t have or don’t use a credit card,” Marco Di Maggio, an economist at Harvard, told me. He said that Gen Z was skeptical of credit cards, possibly because many of them had seen their parents sink into debt. Following the ’08 financial crisis, personal debt became a public bogeyman. The elimination of housing wealth for millions of Americans fueled a credit crunch, in which banks tightened credit standards and sharply curtailed their lending. Government agencies such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also strongly discouraged overextension. “We have sort of indoctrinated younger borrowers in the idea that having credit-card debt is bad,” Anastasiya Ghosh, a University of Arizona marketing professor, told me. Ghosh’s research involves polling consumers about which method of spending makes them feel the most guilty. “Credit cards are always the worst,” she said. Conversely, when given the option between BNPL and debit, shoppers made no moral distinction. Even the most prosaic items were fair game for financing. Ghosh had assumed people would tend to reserve BNPL “for hedonic things that are harder to justify”—until a control group in one of her studies happily used it on groceries. “They felt absolutely nothing negative,” she said, “which blew my mind.” Older consumers might see fractured payments on chicken thighs as a sign of financial precarity, but many young people find BNPL’s nuances liberating, Di Maggio told me. They perceive credit cards as encouraging a kick-the-can attitude toward debt, with interest steadily accruing from month to month. (Indeed, roughly 60 percent of credit-card holders don’t pay the full amount on their monthly bills, according to a McKinsey survey.) Traditional lenders profit from sustained delinquency, whereas most BNPL loan terms are fixed at six weeks. BNPL providers can offer zero-percent interest rates because they charge merchants three to four times the average credit-card processing fee. To many Gen Zers, that business model seems less risky than credit cards. It gives them a sense of security that the debt from a purchase won’t balloon from interest and hang over their heads forever. The tendrils of those credit-card anxieties stretch all the way to Instagram and TikTok, where countless “debt success stories” feature creators digging their way out of credit-card bills. As the reigning king of product placement, Instagram is a crucial node in the BNPL network: #Afterpay is tagged in more than 1.6 million posts on the platform, most of them from brands and influencers hawking apparel. But Gen Z’s lifestyle gurus live on TikTok, where they articulate new modes of consumption in real time—distilling whole philosophies at incredible scale. To a generation of borrowers, zero interest means free money, and the idea of paying down daily indulgences doesn’t faze many young consumers. “One thing about me? Ima Afterpay that shit,” says the creator behind All Things Naisa on TikTok, where she has more than 130,000 followers. “I don’t care if I have $40 million in my account. I don’t care if the cart came up to $6.74. Afterpay that shit!” The video has almost 180,000 likes. In another video, John Liang, a TikTok influencer with 2.1 million followers, presents the decision to use BNPL as one of pure reason. Standing in front of a green-screened Apple Store, Liang explains that by not paying the total price for a product upfront, he can invest the remainder of his money. When I pitched this latter reasoning to Di Maggio, he said it made little sense economically and psychologically. He pointed out that investments don’t typically yield appreciable returns over just six weeks. And even if they did, most consumers who find an extra $20 or so in their pocket don’t think to buy stocks or bonds with it—they spend it on something else. A recent study he co-authored supports this notion, finding that BNPL use causes a permanent increase in total spending of about $60 a week, stretching the average household retail budget 30 percent. Another study found that, on paper, people who borrow from these financial-technology firms look as creditworthy as their conventional-banking counterparts, but “after they get the loan, they are much more likely to be delinquent,” Di Maggio said. BNPL delinquency rates are outpacing those of credit cards, and the companies have seen their valuations slashed in the face of waning interest from investors. Many financial-technology firms frame their mission as one of inclusion—they say they’re building a bigger tent for America’s un- and underbanked, which include gig workers and young people with poor credit histories. Klarna, for instance, recently launched a “creator platform” to match merchants with influencers who have access to their target audiences. But because BNPL providers aren’t subject to the same scrutiny as banks (most of them engage in forms of lending not explicitly covered by the Truth in Lending or Dodd-Frank Acts), consumer protections are scant. BNPL programs increase the likelihood of borrowers dipping into their savings and incurring overdraft and other fees. And most of the companies don’t furnish credit-score-boosting data to agencies such as TransUnion, meaning that even if you use BNPL and pay on time, “you have thousands of dollars of debt on your balance sheet that nobody knows about,” Di Maggio said. What companies like Klarna once characterized as paradigm-busting behavior—young people rejecting stodgy banks in favor of more freeing forms of finance—now looks like the crest of yet another credit cycle, a familiar note in the motif of American consumption. As with young credit-card holders, BNPL users under 25 have the highest default and delinquency rates. If credit dries up in a broader downturn, they are at risk of losing access even to those programs. Meanwhile, they may find that their reliance on these parallel lending methods, which only glancingly intersect with the conventional credit ecosystem, has hobbled their credit history at the worst possible time. The new debt, in many ways, is exactly the same as the old debt. On TikTok, a small cadre of folks is starting to inch toward denunciation. The opening line of one finance influencer’s video last month: “I’m gonna explain to you why you should never use the buy-now-and-pay-later feature.” https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2023/01/buy-now-pay-later-affirm-afterpay-credit-card-debt/672686/.... The phrase "record levels of credit card debt" has made headlines in US media for the past 20 years. It had become so integrated and normalized, I hadn't realized generation Z and youth demographics may have formed negative opinions around credit cards. Causing them to avoid use of cc. According to this, BNPL (buy now pay later) debt is often not included in credit scores or personal debt statistics. Which could lead to average debt per consumer/household statistics resembling the portion of an iceberg which remains above water. There have been rumors for months now that a high percentage of US consumers were charging necessities to BNPL or credit cards. A bill which they may not be able to afford. The headline appears to indicate it could be an affirmative claim. There could be a crisis in the near future. As americans search for alternative methods to cover their monthly expenses once their credit cards and BNPL plans are tapped out. However, considering BNPL doesn't appear to track consumer debt. It is possible american consumers could rack up an unlimited number of BNPL plans without the additional debt appearing on credit check radar. Perhaps that is the way? |
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China and india have been rivals for years now. Both have soldiers stationed along their shared border, in anticipation of future war. In past years, experts and analysts predicted war would break out. Thankfully, they have so far managed to avoid it.
China having outright banned crypto. It is possible india does not want to adopt similar policy to what china did. In theory india might gain economic and financial advantages over china through crypto based job creation and taxation of their native crypto industry.
Now that the world is seeing that billions can be amassed in crypto with FTX and other ventures. Crypto's reputation could be similar to gambling and legalized marijuana. Most world leaders may be viewing it as a method to attract investment and boost tax revenues. "Legalize and tax it" could be common sentiment in circles of political leadership.
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IBM wll have a QC of 4,000+ qubits by 2025 (in two years). It takes only 1556 qubits to break the ECDSA encryption
Our current era CPUs are only 64 bits. Why no upgrade to 128 bit CPUs? This upgrade would be trivial and easy to implement, as it would entail merely increasing the byte length of registers. So why have 128 bit CPUs not yet emerged? Likewise with ASICs. If it is possible to increase cryptographic function on chips, simply by extending the bit length of registers. Why have we not seen ASICs with registers that can hold a bazillion bits? Think of engines in cars. If exotic luxury cars are known for their V-12 engines. Why not produce V-24, V-36 and V-48 engines if the goal is to produce greater horsepower and torque? Can it be said that, at a certain point, simply adding bit length to chips and cylinders to engines produces diminishing returns. |
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WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Friday the United States will likely hit the $31.4 trillion statutory debt limit on Jan. 19, forcing the Treasury to launch extraordinary cash management measures that can likely prevent default until early June. "Once the limit is reached, Treasury will need to start taking certain extraordinary measures to prevent the United States from defaulting on its obligations," Yellen said in a letter to new Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders. She urged the lawmakers to act quickly to raise the debt ceiling to "protect the full faith and credit" of the United States. "While Treasury is not currently able to provide an estimate of how long extraordinary measures will enable us to continue to pay the government's obligations, it is unlikely that cash and extraordinary measures will be exhausted before early June," the letter said. Republicans now in control of the House have threatened to use the debt ceiling as leverage to demand spending cuts from Democrats and the Biden administration. This has raised concerns in Washington and on Wall Street about a bruising fight over the debt ceiling this year that could be at least as disruptive as the protracted battle of 2011, which prompted a brief downgrade of the U.S. credit rating and years of forced domestic and military spending cuts. The White House said on Friday after Yellen's letter that it will not negotiate over raising the debt ceiling. "This should be done without conditions," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. "There’s going to be no negotiation over it." House Republicans are planning to move a "debt prioritization" measure by the end of March that would call on the U.S. Treasury to continue making certain payments once it reaches the debt ceiling, but details have not been finalized, a person familiar with the plan told Reuters. The proposal was first reported by the Washington Post. The Republican plan will call on the Treasury Department to keep making interest payments on the debt, the Post reported, citing sources. It may also stipulate the Treasury should continue making payments on Social Security, Medicare and veterans benefits, and fund the military, the newspaper said. The plan was part of a private deal reached this month to resolve the standoff between right-wing hardliners in the House and McCarthy over his election as House speaker, the Post said. Yellen's estimate expressing confidence that the government could pay its bills only through early June without increasing the limit marks a deadline considerably sooner than forecasts by some outside budget analysts that the government would exhaust its cash and borrowing capacity - the so called "X Date" - sometime in the third quarter of calendar 2023. Analysts have noted that some Treasury bills maturing in the second half of the year are sporting a premium in their yields that may be tied to elevated risk of a default in that window. "You could read this partly as trying to get Congress to act sooner rather than later," said Bipartisan Policy Center economics director Shai Akabas, adding that Treasury was being conservative in its approach. Yellen said that there was "considerable uncertainty" around the length of time that extraordinary measures could stave off default, due to a variety of factors, including the challenges of forecasting the government's payments and revenues months into the future. PENSION INVESTMENTS SUSPENDEDAs of Wednesday, Treasury data showed that U.S. federal debt stood $78 billion below the limit, with a Treasury operating cash balance of $346.4 billion. The department on Thursday reported an $85 billion December deficit as revenues eased and outlays grew, particularly for debt interest costs. Yellen said in her letter that the Treasury this month anticipates suspending new investments in two government retiree funds for pensions and healthcare, as well as suspending reinvestments in the Government Securities Investment Fund, or G Fund, part of a savings plan for federal employees. The retirement investments are restored once the debt ceiling is raised. "The use of extraordinary measures enables the government to meet its obligations for only a limited amount of time," Yellen wrote to McCarthy and other congressional leaders. "It is therefore critical that Congress act in a timely manner to increase or suspend the debt limit. Failure to meet the government’s obligations would cause irreparable harm to the U.S. economy, the livelihoods of all Americans, and global financial stability," Yellen wrote. https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/yellen-urges-us-congress-act-quickly-debt-limit-2023-01-13/.... Raising the US debt ceiling has been a hot topic over the past two years. Everytime the topic emerges in news cycles. I wonder what would happen if the US defaults. And all of the americans on state pension, welfare, unemployment, food stamps and other programs no longer receive their monthly checks. The worst case scenario, is not a good one. Retired americans on social security are the largest viewer demographic for television news. They don't know who Alex Jones is. They're typically insulated from the information and news stories making the rounds on social media and the internet. Which means they could be the most surprised and unprepared demographic, if a US default were to occur. Pension earning americans are also usually the most likely demographic to preach job security. College education. Pulling oneself up by their boot straps. They're the most likely age bracket to look down upon younger generations for not being as successful or independent on an age comaprison basis. Netizens typically refer to them as "boomers". I don't know what type of motivation or reasoning people need to try harder to be more successful and have a larger margin of safety for their futures. For me, the thought of millions of americans across the country losing their sole source of income simultaneously, in the event of a US default. Has to be one of the more motivating trends I have seen over the past two years. The united states thus far, hasn't see the type of riots or widespread social upheavel that other nations have post 2020. But I think that if the US defaults on its debt. And it slowly begins to dawn on the entire country, what that would mean for them and their bottom line. We could see some significant shifts that have been silent thus far. And that things might get ugly. |
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In another exciting announcement from “Bitcoin Country”, El Salvador has announced the passing of its “Digital Asset Issuance” legislation that was proposed last November. This new digital asset regulatory framework paves the way for its much anticipated Volcano Token issuance. A Regulatory Framework For Digital AssetsIn more historic news from El Salvador, the small Central American nation that surprised the world by being the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender in September of 2021, comes another breakthrough announcement with the passing of its “Digital Asset Issuance” securities law. This new law establishes a legal framework around the issuance of digital assets and the broader crypto token classification, which includes every other type of digital asset in the crypto market besides Bitcoin. This means that there is now a definitive regulatory framework for tokenised securities, altcoins, and businesses that wish to transact or offer services focused on digital assets other than Bitcoin. The new digital asset regulatory framework would also establish a Bitcoin Fund Management Agency, which provides oversight and administration for public offerings of digital assets issued by the state of El Salvador and its institutions. Paving The Way For The Volcano TokenThe 33-page digital securities bill was originally proposed in November of 2022 and is expected to lay the legal groundwork to allow the nation to move forward with its so-called “Volcano Bond”. The Volcano Bond, which is more accurately described as Volcano Token, is a digital token which would help El Salvador to raise capital to pay down its sovereign debt, direct funds towards the creation of Bitcoin mining infrastructure, and fund the construction of “Bitcoin City”. El Salvador’s Volcano Token is targeted to raise $1 Billion and would be backed by the proceeds generated from its geothermal Bitcoin mining operation, which harnesses energy from the nation’s active volcanoes. By leveraging the nation’s natural resources and geothermal energy, El Salvador’s Bitcoin mining industry would utilise only renewable energy to create new Bitcoin, making investment in the bond very attractive to both traditional and ESG investors. Bitcoin City is a planned special economic zone which was announced by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele in November of 2021, which will be built on the Gulf of Fonseca on the southern coast of El Salvador, near El Salvador’s Conchagua volcano. Bitcoin City would offer tax advantages, friendly regulations, create mining infrastructure, and incentivise Bitcoin businesses and entrepreneurs to open offices and startups within the nation. A New Financial Centre For HyperbitcoinisationWith the passage of the digital asset issuance legislation, El Salvador is actively positioning itself to realise its vision to become a leading financial centre for the global Bitcoin economy, similar to the current roles played by nations like Switzerland, Luxembourg, Singapore, London and New York for legacy finance. The digital asset issuance law comes on the heels of the formation of El Salvador’s newly created National Bitcoin Office (ONBTC), which was formed in November of 2022 to oversee the nation’s domestic Bitcoin projects. The ONBTC is an official government office which will oversee and carry out the country’s planned Bitcoin projects and collaborate with other nations internationally to develop and advise on Bitcoin policy. Despite the bear market and Bitcoin’s price decline from $69,000 to its current price at the time of writing of $17,383, President Bukele has shown unwavering commitment to El Salvador’s Bitcoin strategy by announcing that El Salvador would be purchasing 1 Bitcoin per day, for an undetermined amount of time. Detractors have pointed out that El Salvador is currently underwater on its purchase of more than 2,300 Bitcoin held on the nation’s balance sheet, but El Salvador hasn’t sold any Bitcoin yet, so they haven’t lost anything except for on paper. In a year’s time, as the next halving approaches in 2024, President Bukele may emerge as a very shrewd statesman as the Bitcoin price may begin to recover. With Bitcoin’s long-term performance as an investment asset, his detractors may have to do an about-face if his strategy is successful. Bitfinex will be a technology provider for the nation’s Volcano Token, which is expected to move forward now that the new regulatory framework is in place. We are watching this development with excitement, along with the rest of the Bitcoin community. https://blog.bitfinex.com/announcements/el-salvadors-historic-digital-asset-securities-law-passes/.... El salvador's crypto plans are still sounding ambitious in scope: The 33-page digital securities bill was originally proposed in November of 2022 and is expected to lay the legal groundwork to allow the nation to move forward with its so-called “Volcano Bond”. The Volcano Bond, which is more accurately described as Volcano Token, is a digital token which would help El Salvador to raise capital to pay down its sovereign debt, direct funds towards the creation of Bitcoin mining infrastructure, and fund the construction of “Bitcoin City”.
El Salvador’s Volcano Token is targeted to raise $1 Billion and would be backed by the proceeds generated from its geothermal Bitcoin mining operation, which harnesses energy from the nation’s active volcanoes. By leveraging the nation’s natural resources and geothermal energy, El Salvador’s Bitcoin mining industry would utilise only renewable energy to create new Bitcoin, making investment in the bond very attractive to both traditional and ESG investors.
Bitcoin City is a planned special economic zone which was announced by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele in November of 2021, which will be built on the Gulf of Fonseca on the southern coast of El Salvador, near El Salvador’s Conchagua volcano. Bitcoin City would offer tax advantages, friendly regulations, create mining infrastructure, and incentivise Bitcoin businesses and entrepreneurs to open offices and startups within the nation. If I remember correctly, geothermal energy derived from volcanic steam vents are claimed to produce energy at lower cost in comparison to nuclear, wind power, hydroelectric, solar, fossil fuels and other methods of producing electricity. On paper this looks good for el salvador. However, the expertise and start up capital to finance such a project is what has been lacking. If el salvador could post regular updates which indicated progress was being made, it would generate a massive influx of credibility to support their proposals. With an economic crisis looming, they're still proposing to build "bitcoin city". I applaud their ambition and courage. But have to wonder whether theirs is the pragmatic approach with potential storms lurking on the horizon. |
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Does a side job/business improve your finanical stability ?
However, a side job/business also takes time and efforts and can never be attained whenever we need it. What did you do or will you do in order to ensure your finanical stability despite all unfavorable circumstances ?
I don't know if anyone's financial stability is ever truly secured. Elon Musk was claimed to have lost $200 billion in net worth in 2022. From 2020 to the present there were more than a few billionaires who hit rock bottom, who had their entire fortunes wiped out by stock market swings and other tragic events. Even billionaires are not guaranteed stability in the current market. One thing that stands out to me is the use of the term "armchair financial advisor". It is possible that the only road towards gaining competence and comprehension of markets, investing and business is to try to do it yourself. Especially in the current era where the balance between corporations, the state and the average citizen leans so heavily in favor of the establishment. I don't know if my financial stability will ever be guaranteed. But one thing I do is try to come up with ideas which have the potential to make a million dollars for fun. Calculate basic costs versus potential sales and profits to come up with a business model and niche area that might have a chance of success. Even if it fails, or has zero chance of success, it could be good exercise. Like a crossword puzzle or sudoku. I don't think its an exaggeration to say that there are many paths to becoming a millionaire and attaining some degree of financial freedom all around people. Things they never notice and never really think about. |
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New York City Public Schools have blocked access to OpenAI's ChatGPT AI model on its network and devices, reports educational news site Chalkbeat. The move comes amid fears from educators that students will use ChatGPT to cheat on assignments, accidentally introduce inaccuracies in their work, or write essays in a way that will keep them from learning the material. ChatGPT is a large language model created by OpenAI, and it is currently accessible for free through any web browser during its testing period. People can use it to write essays, poetry, and technical documents (or even simulate a Linux console) at a level that can often pass for human writing—although it can also produce very confident-sounding but inaccurate results. Per Chalkbeat, NYC education department spokesperson Jenna Lyle said, "Due to concerns about negative impacts on student learning, and concerns regarding the safety and accuracy of content, access to ChatGPT is restricted on New York City Public Schools’ networks and devices. While the tool may be able to provide quick and easy answers to questions, it does not build critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, which are essential for academic and lifelong success.” Educational concerns about large language models became widespread in September after someone on the OpenAI subreddit claimed that they used GPT-3 (the foundational technology behind ChatGPT) to write essays and answer questions for school projects. At that point, GPT-3 was only accessible through an API or a special user interface through the OpenAI website and for a fee based on usage. After OpenAI introduced ChatGPT to a much larger audience for free on November 30, calls of alarm became more widespread among educators. As a language prediction model, ChatGPT is a type of neural network trained on the text of millions of books and websites. The model's "knowledge" of typical text constructions helps it predict the most likely output after someone enters a prompt. So if given a prompt such as "Mary had a," it might complete the sentence with "little lamb," pulling from the most frequent statistical associations between words the AI model encountered during the training process. During a session with ChatGPT, the entire conversation history is the prompt that the model attempts to complete, albeit in a conversational form. Although ChatGPT will be blocked on computer networks in NYC public schools, Chalkbeat reports that individual schools can apply for access to ChatGPT to study the technology behind it. And while it's unclear if ChatGPT will have any of the feared effects on education, this move from the largest school district in the US may inspire others to enact similar bans on the technology. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/01/nyc-schools-block-chatgpt-fearing-negative-impact-on-learning/.... Is ChatGPT developed enough to author complete essays containing legit content for school purposes? If a student set parameters relating to topics like history, science, math. With specific parameters for topics they were given assignments on. Could ChatGPT realistically produce a written assignment which would be coherent and valid? Not knowing much about ChatGPT but having seen and operated a few bots. I feel skeptical chatGPT can accomplish some of the things it is given credit for being capable of. Students already have sparknotes and frameworks for comprehending school assignments which make assignments much easier in contrast to pre internet era education. Can a bot really have so much impact, as to merit all of these articles and journalistic pieces being written on it? |
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The book of 5 rings is a good read. While many have applied it to combat sports and life hacks over the years. I have yet to see anyone apply it to finance, bitcoin or crypto.  Image link: https://i.ibb.co/4fXfHYt/resentment-complaint-inappropriate.jpgThe above quotation from Musashi Miyamoto's dokkodo could be good advice for coping with unpredictable, seemingly irrational and crazy events in the cryptosphere. The book of 5 rings encourages an unclouded, unbiased, perspective. Which can be important qualities to develop for investment. Recognizing opportunity and not being swayed by trends and popular public opinion. Emphasizing a lack of preference could also be a good trait to develop. Applied to finance, it could imply having no preference for shitcoins over defi. Or ICOs over tokens. But to simply recognize value and make unbiased investment choices based on logic. |
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There are different methods, with varying accuracy.
Most calculate house advantage by the percentage below 1.00 a gambler can win at near even odds. Many books will offer 0.96 versus 0.96. Rather than 1.00 versus 1.00. In which case, the house advantage will be considered near to 4% per bet.
But if I remember correctly, percentage gains compound over time. Which could carry a potential to negate the 4% house advantage.
A more accurate way to calculate house advantage might be to determine bet win versus bet loss percentages. To a certain extent, the biggest advantage the house has is insider industry information and the power to set odds which can sometimes be misleading and inaccurate. There are sporting events where 2:1 underdogs should be betting favorites. The odds often do not reflect accurate statistics. Its a point bookmakers rely on, to fool gamblers who fail to realize odds often do not reflect mathematical probability.
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Would be interesting to see how they would be able to implement security measures to make sure that the system will not be gamed.
The $8 a month subscriber fee might limit some from making thousands of accounts. I'm not certain if ChatGPT is capable of making witty puns or meme content on a consistent basis. There have been similar chat bots as far back as 2001, such as smarter child: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SmarterChild
So, they will copy all from Reddit! How original!
Reddit has a rewards program? Found it: https://www.reddit.com/coinsHave to read more about it.
What does this have to do with freelance writing? Freelance writers get hired to write texts for someone. Twitter is just a microblogging platform. It's a completely different field.
Well, let's say that freelance writers are paid $0.05 per word written on average. The limited word and character restrictions of twitter restrict long form content. Which could significantly raise the revenue writers are paid per word. If a tweet contains 5 words and earns $20, that comes out to $4 per word. Even if it were a fraction of that amount, it still be a lot more than most writers are paid on average on a word per word basis. To be successful, I think twitter has to pay more cash per word to make the feature attractive due to their ban of long form content found on medium for example. Which could result in many authors and writers targeting twitter as a source for revenue. Knowing they might be paid significantly more, per word, by using the platform. |
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Does that mean those who don't go through health/nursing school can enter to become the nurse assistant you mean?
I call it job vacancies where the impact of the resignation of workers in America makes it difficult for a company or a business to operate optimally due to a shortage of workers.
I thought I was interested, but I am not an American and of course far outside America, so it requires a fairly complicated administrative process and I have to leave my hometown to try my luck in America.
Can people outside of America get it?
In advance, I would like to thank you for the information.
Nursing jobs are categorized as being inside the healthcare industry in the USA. I think most have heard healthcare is expensive in america. Which might give one the impression of nurses being highly paid in the country. Which is accurate as certified nurses in some US states can earn near to $100,000 a year or close to $50 an hour. The $16 an hour nursing aide position is considerably lower due to it not requiring nursing school credentials, (as far as I know). Although, it might require long hours. And jobs that many would not want to do. Such as cleaning bedpans, mopping blood and similar tasks. There is a shortage of nursing staff in many areas of the USA, which could mean there are many job openings. But to be honest, I can't say that I have looked or checked to see if such is the case. When I worked in construction, there were illegal immigrants on the job. Starting pay can go as high as $100 a day. Although the work isn't necessarily something most would want to do. There is usually no healthcare to fallback on in case you get injured. Sometimes, you might end up handling aesbestos and other harmful materials without the benefit of a safety mask. Every good prospect usually has its negatives which causes others to not want the job. At the moment, I think US jobs are easier to find than normal. I have seen contractors in the construction industry on social media and youtube complaining no one wants to work. Despite generous offers of good salary. It is strange. To someone living outside the USA, $16 an hour might sound like a lot of money. But you have to consider that everything from rent to food is much more expensive in the USA, than it is abroad. Many americans are moving to places with average lower cost of living, or paying for their monthly expenses on credit card. Due to their salaries not covering expenses. |
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A federal agency says a ban on gas stoves is on the table amid rising concern about harmful indoor air pollutants emitted by the appliances. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission plans to take action to address the pollution, which can cause health and respiratory problems. “This is a hidden hazard,” Richard Trumka Jr., an agency commissioner, said in an interview. “Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.” Natural gas stoves, which are used in about 40% of homes in the US, emit air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter at levels the EPA and World Health Organization have said are unsafe and linked to respiratory illness, cardiovascular problems, cancer, and other health conditions, according to reports by groups such as the Institute for Policy Integrity and the American Chemical Society. Consumer Reports, in October, urged consumers planning to buy a new range to consider going electric after tests conducted by the group found high levels of nitrogen oxide gases from gas stoves. New peer-reviewed research published last month in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that more than 12% of current childhood asthma cases in the US can be attributed to gas stove use. “There is about 50 years of health studies showing that gas stoves are bad for our health, and the strongest evidence is on children and children’s asthma,” said Brady Seals, a manager in the carbon-free buildings program at the nonprofit clean energy group RMI and a co-author of the study. “By having a gas connection, we are polluting the insides of our homes.” The Bethesda, Maryland-based Consumer Product Safety Commission, which has a staff of roughly 500, plans to open public comment on hazards posed by gas stoves later this winter. Besides barring the manufacture or import of gas stoves, options include setting standards on emissions from the appliances, Trumka said. Lawmakers have weighed in, asking the commission to consider requiring warning labels, range hoods and performance standards. In a letter to the agency in December, lawmakers including Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey and Representative Don Beyer of Virginia, both Democrats, urged action and called gas-stove emissions a “cumulative burden” on Black, Latino and low-income households that disproportionately experience air pollution. Parallel efforts by state and local policymakers are targeting the use of natural gas in buildings more broadly, in a push to reduce climate-warming emissions (such as from methane) that exacerbate climate change. Nearly 100 cities and counties have adopted policies that require or encourage a move away from fossil fuel powered buildings. The New York City Council voted in 2021 to ban natural gas hookups in new buildings smaller than seven stories by the end of this year. The California Air Resources Board unanimously voted in September to ban the sale of natural gas-fired furnaces and water heaters by 2030. Consumers who want to switch from gas to electric ranges could get some help from the massive climate spending bill signed into law in August. The Inflation Reduction Act includes rebates of up to $840 for the purchase of new electric ranges as part of some $4.5 billion in funding to help low- and moderate-income households electrify their homes. The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, which represents gas range manufacturers such as Whirlpool Corp., says that cooking produces emissions and harmful byproducts no matter what kind of stove is used. “Ventilation is really where this discussion should be, rather than banning one particular type of technology,” said Jill Notini, a vice president with the Washington-based trade group. “Banning one type of a cooking appliance is not going to address the concerns about overall indoor air quality. We may need some behavior change, we may need [people] to turn on their hoods when cooking.” Natural gas distributors, whose business is threatened by the growing push to electrify homes, argue that a ban on natural gas stoves would drive up costs for homeowners and restaurants with little environmental gain. The American Gas Association, which represents utilities such as Dominion Energy Inc. and DTE Energy Co., said in a statement that regulatory and advisory agencies responsible for protecting residential consumer health and safety have presented no documented risks from gas stoves. “The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and EPA do not present gas ranges as a significant contributor to adverse air quality or health hazard in their technical or public information literature, guidance, or requirements,” said Karen Harbert, the group’s president. “The most practical, realistic way to achieve a sustainable future where energy is clean, as well as safe, reliable and affordable, is to ensure it includes natural gas and the infrastructure that transports it.” Trumka, who before joining the commission worked for a House committee in a role that included work on toxic heavy metals in baby food and the health hazards of e-cigarettes, said the commission could issue its proposal as soon as this year, though he conceded that would be “on the quick side.” “There is this misconception that if you want to do fine-dining kind of cooking it has to be done on gas,” Trumka said. “It’s a carefully manicured myth.” https://time.com/6245607/us-consumer-safety-commission-considers-gas-stove-ban/.... Summary: Natural gas stoves, which are used in about 40% of homes in the US, emit air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter at levels the EPA and World Health Organization have said are unsafe and linked to respiratory illness, cardiovascular problems, cancer, and other health conditions, according to reports by groups such as the Institute for Policy Integrity and the American Chemical Society. Consumer Reports, in October, urged consumers planning to buy a new range to consider going electric after tests conducted by the group found high levels of nitrogen oxide gases from gas stoves.
New peer-reviewed research published last month in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that more than 12% of current childhood asthma cases in the US can be attributed to gas stove use.
Nearly 100 cities and counties have adopted policies that require or encourage a move away from fossil fuel powered buildings. The New York City Council voted in 2021 to ban natural gas hookups in new buildings smaller than seven stories by the end of this year. The California Air Resources Board unanimously voted in September to ban the sale of natural gas-fired furnaces and water heaters by 2030.
The Inflation Reduction Act includes rebates of up to $840 for the purchase of new electric ranges as part of some $4.5 billion in funding to help low- and moderate-income households electrify their homes. It appears we have more changes on the way. (Will propane gas also be affected by these regulatory changes?) Could this trigger a market trend towards combustion of clean burning gases in various industries? To an extent, we have already seen this occurring. Aerospace engineers like space X have abandoned kerosene rocket fuel in favor of methane, which is more environmentally friendly. Biodiesel, ethanol and fossil fuels generated from waste products were popular for a time. Enough so that ethanol became mandated as a required fuel additive across US states. While this may seem like an abrupt move, it has been happening silently in the shadows for a period of decades before this article was published. It might also be mentioned that burning some gases like hydrogen can result in exhaust fumes mixing with oxygen to produce water as a major byproduct. This is a somewhat clean burning process, which was a proud moment for the space shuttle burning liquid hydrogen. While there definitely have been prototype stoves built to burn using hydrogen. I can't comment on how economical or feasible it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSshAaDWu3U |
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The app is also working on "awards" that can be purchased with coins.It seems Elon Musk’s Twitter is working on a new scheme to make money from the platform. The service appears to be experimenting with an in-app currency called “coins” meant to help creators earn money from the platform, according to screenshots shared by two app researchers. The feature has been spotted in recent days by Jane Manchun Wong and Nima Owji, app researchers who often publish images of unreleased features. According to their posts, coins appear to be an extension of Twitter’s existing tipping feature. “Coins allow you to support creators who Tweet great content,” reads a screenshot shared by Wong and Owji. An image shared by Owji back in December showed a new “Coins” tab in the same section where users can keep track of their tips. For now, it’s unclear exactly what Twitter’s plans are for coins or when the feature could launch. The company, which no longer employs communications staff, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the screenshots suggest Twitter is at least considering featuring coins prominently in its app as both Wong and Owji spotted it in the main sidebar. But coins may not be just for tipping. Wong also spotted an “Awards” feature, which allows people to use coins to buy in-app gifts for others. According to the image shared by Wong, users would be able to buy gifts for as little as one coin (called “Mind Blown”) or as much as 5000 (called “Gold”). It’s not clear how much coins will cost, though Twitter would presumably get a cut of revenue generated from coin purchases. So far, Elon Musk doesn’t seem to have publicly weighed in on coins or awards, but he has spoken broadly about wanting more ways for creators to be rewarded. He’s said that Twitter Blue revenue would potentially “give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators” and that “creator monetization for all forms of content” is also in the works. It’s also worth noting that despite the “coins’ moniker, the feature doesn’t seem to have any cryptocurrency tie-ins, at least for now. “Twitter Coin is still under development and we don't even have any evidence that it's something related to crypto,” Owji noted. “Don’t let the scammers fool you.” https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/twitter-coins-awards-creators-210326649.html .... Aside from youtube ad revenue has there been a social media platform offering the following features?: He’s said that Twitter Blue revenue would potentially “give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators” and that “creator monetization for all forms of content” is also in the works. I'm interested as to how they propose to deploy content creation revenue given the text limit along with limitations on server video bandwidth. Could image based memes could be considered approved content? Could they conceivable payout decent revenue based on end users publishing a few sentences of text? Could that disrupt the freelance writing market where some authors are paid by number of words published? They're reporting twitters proposed internal currency coins feature will not be crypto based. Which is interesting development. I think most of us expected dogecoin support. Or something similar. There have been a few previous leaks that this was coming. Although unfortunately the sources were apparently deleted before anything more than a few unconfirmed screen caps could be recorded. While twitter's launch of a watered down version of facebook's proposed diem and libracoin projects might not be the most exciting headline anyone has seen. Perhaps this could be a step in the right direction? |
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What I see is that Peter Zeihan do not know what bitcoin is, he is only of the old fashion where the world has passed and moving to the future.
He said bitcoin has no value. The price of bitcoin today is $17000 and he said the price will go down $17000 more.
If anyone wants to see Zeihan's arguments on crypto, here is a youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJeEFrRm01sEveryone has their area of expertise. In Peter Zeihan's case, his specialization is geopolitics. A topic which he is good at. Peter Zeihan however is not an investor who has taken time to familiarize themselves with finance or economic trends. This is obvious from Zeihan repeating many of the urban myths and stereotypes about crypto. Clearly without him having taken the time to study the topic in depth. Two topics Zeihan could tackle on crypto are the claim of it catering to an unbanked global demographic, it being deflationary in nature. As well as blockchain being a valid and functional data structure in computer science. Its clear Zeihan has likely never heard any of these claims. Which serves as a decent foundation for providing a counter argument for his claims. |
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A person must study years to become a real nurse (not just clean-feed-repeat kinda of person).
The job title is nursing aide. The qualifications are similar to a lifeguard afaik. They only have to know CPR and other basics which do not have a serious learning curve to them. |
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I think eventually everyone will see the outcome of the russian conflict with their own eyes. Whether russia wins or loses, everyone will know, eventually.
The point of attempting to sway public opinion on this topic, eludes me.
The sun will rise in the morning. Some might say: the sun will not rise today. But eventually everyone will see the sun in the sky! What is the point of claiming the opposite stance of fact and nature?
Personally, I do not like the idea of saying "russia is crumbling and has been defeated" as it is prone towards underestimating the extent of the threat. Underestimating events is a typical media trend. They did it when they said "Hillary had a 97% chance of defeating Trump in the 2016 elections". They said that Trump had already lost. Hillary winning the 2016 presidential election was all but inevitable.
I would like to take topics like russia and Putin more seriously. The same with other issues society faces.
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